Niners quick hits: Crabtree, WRs build buzz

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – I’ll be writing plenty more off my visit to the San Francisco 49ers training camp in the coming days, but for now, here are some parting observations and notes from my Saturday visit:

– Top WR Michael Crabtree’s return to full health – and he sure looks like he has, moving well in Saturday’s practice and making a one-handed catch in traffic – headlines a group with improved depth and talent. Anquan Boldin remains tough and crafty at age 33. Stevie Johnson, who had three straight 1,000-yard seasons in Buffalo from 2010 to ’12, arrived in a trade. General manager Trent Baalke made a point to praise rookie Bruce Ellington (“a young guy that’s come in and showed an awful lot of promise”) second-year pro Quinton Patton (“a year older, a year better”), and even 33-year-old Brandon Lloyd (“playing like he’s 28 years old out there”). RB Frank Gore said it’s “by far” the best receiver group the 49ers have had in his 10 seasons.

– That’s good news for QB Colin Kaepernick, who has his new contract in hand and was plainly in good spirits Saturday. The 49ers’ sustained success might be the reason it’s so easy to overlook the fact Kaepernick, 26, has made all of 23 regular-season starts. There’s still a lot of room to grow, and nobody doubts he’s committed to doing so.

– Gore took it hard when he found out backup RB Kendall Hunter suffered a torn ACL on Friday. “He was back to himself, man,” Gore said of Hunter, who tore an Achilles in November 2012. “He was having a great camp, had a great offseason, he was fast again, so that would’ve helped us a whole lot.” Now, the 49ers figure to turn to rookie Carlos Hyde, the second-round pick from Ohio State whose most notable moment Saturday was getting creamed by DT Quinton Dial.

– Jonathan Martin is an NFL starter again, if only temporarily, filling in for Anthony Davis (offseason shoulder surgery) at right tackle. Martin’s mere presence on the field for the 49ers’ first padded practice of training camp was notable, given everything that transpired last fall in the Miami Dolphins bullying scandal. Plenty of people around the NFL thought Martin wouldn’t play again. Some believed he didn’t want to. It was his college coach, Jim Harbaugh, who gave Martin a second chance and figures to give him every opportunity to make the 49ers’ roster as a swing tackle.

– Who’s a young player ILB Patrick Willis expects to help the 49ers this season? “I do like Chris Borland,” Willis said. “He’s a nice little rascal.” Borland’s 5-11 frame makes him an easy target for jokes. But the third-round pick out of Wisconsin could end up playing a key role in the absence of another smaller linebacker: NaVorro Bowman, who stands 6-foot and is expected to be sidelined until midseason as he recovers from knee reconstruction. “I tell them all the time, they don’t have to worry about sinking their hips,” Willis said with a smile. “They just run.”

– Maybe the best position competition is in the revamped group at cornerback, where Tramaine Brock was Saturday’s star, snaring one interception in front of Johnson and nearly grabbing another a couple plays later. Last year’s primary starters, Carlos Rogers and Tarell Brown, are now with the Raiders. Chris Culliver says his reconstructed knee feels good and has been working with the starters ahead of ex-Viking Chris Cook, who could benefit from a fresh start in the 49ers’ more man-oriented scheme. Rookies Dontae Johnson and Kenneth Acker have made a positive impression so far, too.

– Levi’s Stadium is impressive in its sleek design and simplicity. Among the notable design points are two open corners on the same side of the stadium, which could create some tricky wind patterns. P Andy Lee said it was “a little swirly” in his first work inside the stadium a couple days ago, though it’s too soon to say if it’ll be that way consistently.

– It was a fairly light practice for the first day in pads, but this is a veteran team that knows how to pace itself. There’s no reason to think the 49ers can’t be back where they’ve been three straight seasons: competing for the NFC championship in February. And though the loss of Bowman hurts, they’re probably in a better spot from a health standpoint than a year ago, when Crabtree missed the first 11 games while recovering from a torn Achilles.

Next stop: about 2 hours north in Napa, Calif., to see the Oakland Raiders.